Agronomy for Sustainable Development最新文献

{"title":"Living mulch in fruit and olive orchards. A review","authors":"Veronica Giorgi,&nbsp;Elga Monaci,&nbsp;Enrico Maria Lodolini,&nbsp;Davide Neri","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01120-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01120-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sustainable weed management is a key challenge in fruit and olive orchards. Conventional practices, such as intensive weed control and monoculture, can degrade soil quality and reduce biodiversity, threatening long-term productivity. Living mulch, defined as an herbaceous soil coverage, grown alongside the main crop, represents a promising agroecological strategy for enhancing ecosystem services. However, current knowledge on living mulch in orchards remains fragmented, with studies often focusing on single ecosystem functions and providing context-dependent and sometimes contrasting results. This limits the ability to identify consistent patterns and to support practical decision-making. To address this gap, this systematic review synthesizes and integrates the available evidence on the effects of living mulch on orchard agroecosystems, focusing on weed suppression, soil fertility, biodiversity, soil physical and chemical properties, pest control, agronomic performance, and tree root system dynamics. Findings indicate that living mulch contributes to undesired species suppression (82 records), increases biodiversity and soil fertility (109 records), enhances soil microbial activity and nutrient cycling (120 records), improves soil structure and water retention (66 records), and supports beneficial insect populations for natural pest control (49 records). However, living mulch may also introduce challenges such as resource competition with fruit trees and potentially provide habitats for rodents. The magnitude of these effects varies depending on species selection, pedoclimatic conditions, and management practices. A satisfactory outcome of introducing living mulch in an orchard depends on selecting the appropriate living mulch species and management practices, as well as on shifting farmers’ perspectives to emphasize the long-term ecosystem services of living mulches rather than focusing solely on short-term crop yield. A participatory approach involving farmers is essential for optimizing living mulch integration into orchard systems. Long-term studies are needed to assess the resilience and productivity of living mulch-based management strategies over time.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-026-01120-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148281665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Exploring the logics of farmers’ equipment management for species mixtures: case studies from France","authors":"Esther Fouillet,&nbsp;Laurent Bedoussac,&nbsp;Nassim Hamiti,&nbsp;Annabelle Revel,&nbsp;Chloé Salembier","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01123-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01123-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Complementarity promotes overyielding in grass-legume intercropping","authors":"Namuhan,&nbsp;Yantao Song,&nbsp;Tingyu Guo,&nbsp;Yiping Shi,&nbsp;Xiaoguang Wang,&nbsp;Xue Han,&nbsp;Hongyu Wang,&nbsp;Cunzheng Wei,&nbsp;Michel Loreau,&nbsp; WuWuyunna,&nbsp;Haiyang Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01115-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01115-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Interspecific complementarity effect and selection effect are crucial for the positive relationship between diversity and productivity in ecosystems, yet their evolution over time in intercropping systems, especially under varying spatial configurations and management practices such as weeding, is not well understood. This study provides the first assessment of the relative importance of climate variability, spatial configuration (planting distance between coexisting species), and weeding practices in shaping the biodiversity effects that drive overyielding in grass–legume intercropping systems. A four-year field experiment (2020-2023) was conducted to investigate net biodiversity effects in grass-legume intercropping (<i>Leymus chinensis</i> and <i>Medicago sativa</i>). Five planting modes—two monocultures and three spatial intercropping configurations (mixed-within-row, alternate-one-row, and alternate-two-rows)—were tested under no-weeding and weeding treatments. Aboveground biomass and biodiversity effects (net biodiversity effect, complementarity effect, selection effect) were assessed. Complementarity effect was the primary contributor to positive biodiversity effects and increased with greater spatial separation. This was most evident in the alternate-two-rows configuration, which reduced interspecific competition and enhanced the complementarity effect by 56.99% (no-weeding) and 136.95% (weeding) relative to the mixed-within-row setup. In contrast, selection effects decreased substantially - by 24.55% without weeding and 166.64% with weeding, indicating a substantial reduction in the influence of dominant species. Climatic factors, especially increased precipitation, boosted the complementarity effect, while uneven rainfall distribution negatively impacted productivity in the final year. Weeding treatments had minimal impact, highlighting spatial configuration and climate as dominant drivers of biodiversity effects. Our findings suggest that strategic intercropping improves yield sustainability and resilience to climatic variations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecological intensification for pesticide-free plantain production in Central and West Africa: a review","authors":"Dépigny Sylvain,&nbsp;Pugeaux Pauline,&nbsp;Gbèblonoudo Dassou Anicet,&nbsp;Avom Alara Eric,&nbsp;Traore Siaka,&nbsp;Thiémélé Déless,&nbsp;Dzoyem Camille,&nbsp;Folefack Pompidou Denis,&nbsp;Loeillet Denis,&nbsp;Lescot Thierry","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01107-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01107-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plantain productivity in Central and West Africa remains critically low in cropping systems, ranging from only 5–15 t/ha/year compared with a potential of 30–50 t/ha/year under optimal conditions. Thus, plantain cropping systems fail to meet growing market demand. Plantain monocultures, modelled on intensive banana production systems and reliant on chemical pesticides, are emerging as a response to this deficit. However, they have been unable to improve productivity: plant-productivity and field longevity remain stagnant. Moreover, conventional intensification is known to be harmful to the health of populations and the environment. Based on a review of agronomic research, we analyzed 349 references addressing the five previously identified major production constraints: black weevils, nematodes, black leaf streak disease, weeds, and soil fertility. Our analysis reveals that 88% of studied management practices are based on alternatives to chemical pesticides. However, this knowledge remains largely confined to experimental settings and has had minimal impact on producer practices and field productivity, despite decades of agronomic research. We identify critical knowledge gaps for improving productivity: insufficient knowledge concerning varietal diversity and its potential, limited access to healthy planting material, pest and disease management strategies that are unsuitable to local conditions and poorly adopted, incomplete knowledge of nutrient requirements, and poorly documented crop associations. Based on these findings, we propose to detail five agronomic priorities that could enable pesticide-free plantain production through agroecological practices. This transition also requires strengthening knowledge co-construction between researchers, extension services, and producers to bridge the gap between available scientific knowledge and producer practices. We argue that ecological intensification represents the most viable pathway to sustainably close the plantain yield gap while preserving natural resources and public health in Central and West Africa</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-026-01107-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supporting the design of diversified farming systems to steer general resilience. A review","authors":"Rodolphe Sabatier,&nbsp;Lorène Prost,&nbsp;Aude Alaphilippe,&nbsp;Sylvie Cournut,&nbsp;Géraldine Fleurance,&nbsp;Mickael Hedde,&nbsp;Frederic Joly,&nbsp;Claire Lavigne,&nbsp;Kevin Morel,&nbsp;Marie-Angélina Magne,&nbsp;Sylvie Mugnier,&nbsp;Sandra Novak,&nbsp;Marie-Odile Nozières-Petit,&nbsp;Raphaël Paut,&nbsp;Thomas Puech,&nbsp;Corinne Robert,&nbsp;Julie Ryschawy,&nbsp;Fabien Stark,&nbsp;Quentin Toffolini,&nbsp;Guillaume Martin","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01106-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01106-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Diversification within farming systems is a central lever to increase farm sustainability and general resilience. While the potential benefits of diversified farming systems are rather well known, the design process of such systems, especially with the objective of increasing their general resilience (i.e., buffering, adaptive, and transformative capacities), has received little attention. In this article, we review the key challenges faced when looking for general resilience in the design of diversified farming systems. These challenges both relate to the structure of the system to be designed (e.g., the nature and spatio-temporal arrangement of the system’s components) and to the design process (articulating <i>de novo</i> and step-by-step design). Addressing these challenges requires moving beyond traditional reductionist approaches (that sought to make farming systems as deterministic as possible through standardization) to relational, adaptive methods that acknowledge the uncertainties inherent in translating abstract system representations into real-world transformations. Based on a literature review and examples from three French open on-station system experiments, we show how designing a farming system for its buffering, adaptive, and transformative capacities benefits from a combination of <i>de-novo</i> and step-by-step approaches, while acknowledging for the need for constant evolution of the system in response to changing objectives and environmental conditions. Key solutions include shifting to holistic perspectives and leveraging empirical knowledge by valuing visualization and prototyping, as well as integrating previously “invisible” factors, notably working conditions and work distribution across the year.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rice straw mulch reduces soil salinity and increases beetroot and maize production in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam","authors":"Dang Duy Minh,&nbsp;Edward G. Barrett-Lennard,&nbsp;Tran Duy Khanh,&nbsp;Brooke Kaveney,&nbsp;Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong,&nbsp;Cao Dinh An Giang,&nbsp;Susan Orgill,&nbsp;Doan Thi Truc Linh,&nbsp;Tran Ba Linh,&nbsp;Jason Condon,&nbsp;Chau Minh Khoi","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01116-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01116-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Salinity is becoming a major threat to the growth of continuous rice crops in the low-elevation Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Seawater is increasingly permeating up the river and irrigation water distribution systems in the dry season. There is insufficient knowledge of possible alternatives to rice and management practices during this season to maintain crop production. We assessed the growth of beetroot and maize and tested the value of rice-straw mulch at four rates (0, 3.5, 7.0, and 10.5 t ha⁻¹) at three sites over two years. At the two higher elevation locations (Lieu Tu and Long Phu, 0.80 and 0.96 m above mean sea level (amsl), respectively), dry season crops were successfully grown for 2 years and high levels of production were possible with beetroot and maize (average commercial crop yields up to 42 and 5.4 t ha⁻¹, respectively) while crops could not be established at the low elevation site (Long My, 0.21 m amsl) due to inundation effects. For beetroot and maize, application of mulch increased commercial crop yields by up to 114% and 49%, respectively, decreased the concentrations of Na⁺ in the shoots of plants at harvest by 19% and 37%, respectively, and decreased the salinity (EC_1:5) of the topsoil (0–15 cm) by 13%. Mulch effects were maximized at an application rate of 7.0 t ha⁻¹. Analysis of relationships between soil salinities at different depths and yield and between mulch effects and yield suggested that the rooting depth of beetroot may have been constrained at these sites compared with maize. Very shallow water tables (~20 cm depth) were implicated as the likely cause of this constraint. In overview, our work suggests that exceptional yields of beetroot and maize are possible as alternative crops to rice in this delta environment where salinity and waterlogging are key risks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agroforestry adaptation by farm households in northwestern Vietnam: resource needs and implications for practice and policy","authors":"Hoa Do,&nbsp;Huong T. X. Nguyen,&nbsp;Cory Whitney,&nbsp;Lan Thuy T. Nguyen,&nbsp;Nguyen La,&nbsp;Eike Luedeling","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01117-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01117-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In northwestern Vietnam, agroforestry is promoted to enhance environmental sustainability and support livelihoods, especially in resource-constrained situations. However, farmers adapt agroforestry in diverse ways, and there is still limited structured understanding of how differences in farm resources and configurations shape adoption patterns and support needs. Lack of knowledge about adoption patterns limits the design of cost-effective interventions. To fill this gap, we employed a participatory approach to develop a farm typology that links farm structure, agroforestry adoption patterns and group-specific constraints. Survey data from 101 households were analyzed using archetype analysis to identify distinct farm profiles. These profiles were validated through a series of farmer workshops to explore group-specific constraints and support needs. The archetype analysis identified three distinct agroforestry archetypes, each reflecting unique resource constraints. Archetype 1 and Archetype 2 both represent small-scale farmers with limited agricultural labor and diversified livelihood activities, but they differ in land configuration: Archetype 1 farmers manage more consolidated land and maintain high crop and tree diversity, whereas Archetype 2 farmers operate highly fragmented, small plots with limited potential to diversify. Archetype 3 farmers operate the largest farms among the three groups; they rely on annual crops and show the lowest agroforestry adoption level, with moderate species diversity in their agroforestry systems. Across archetypes, farmers emphasized needs for market access, as well as financial support for production inputs, tree seedlings and irrigation systems, system diversification and technical knowledge. Yet the rationale for these needs differed across groups. Our study is novel in combining data-driven archetype analysis with participatory validation to generate an action-oriented understanding of farm heterogeneity. The results show that support strategies should not only respond to common needs but also to the distinct constraints shaping agroforestry adoption across different farm contexts, highlighting the importance of context-specific, constraint-aware agroforestry policy and extension.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-026-01117-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving ecosystem services with alfalfa meal in highly intensive organic soil-based and soilless greenhouse systems","authors":"C. Giard-Laliberté,&nbsp;G. Madore-Millette,&nbsp;D. E. Pelster,&nbsp;A. J. Messiga,&nbsp;J. Dessureault-Rompré,&nbsp;M. Dorais","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01112-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01112-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Amid the dual challenge of adapting to and mitigating climate change, greenhouse production is expanding. Greenhouse systems present promising avenues for sustainable intensification, yet their sustainability remains constrained by fertilization practices. Plant-based fertilizers like alfalfa meal represent a promising alternative to contentious organic fertilizers, but their ability to sustain productivity in highly intensive systems is uncertain. This study aimed to (i) compare ecosystem service provisioning between soil-based and soilless greenhouse systems and (ii) evaluate the potential of substituting a standard organic fertilization regime with alfalfa meal. In total, 11 indicators of ecosystem (dis)services associated with food production, climate/soil regulation, and air/water pollution were assessed over two crop cycles, grown under three fertilization regimes, where 0%, 50%, or 100% of N was supplied as alfalfa meal, alongside a control. The soilless system reduced disservices linked to N losses (N₂O, NH₃, and N leaching) but increased CH₄ emissions. Across systems, alfalfa meal decreased N losses while enhancing soil N and C pools, earthworm, bacterial, and fungal abundance. In the soil-based system, yields were largely unaffected by N substitution, reflecting strong reliance on soil N reserves, as indicated by the low fertilizer recovery (28.3%). In the soilless system, partial N substitution with alfalfa meal maintained yield, even though fertilizer recovery was high (75.3%). This work provides the first comparative study of soil-based and soilless greenhouse systems and the first report on alfalfa meal use in intensive greenhouse production. Total N losses were low (1.1–4.0% of applied N), well below values reported in previous studies, confirming that both cultivation methods can sustain high provisioning services while limiting disservices linked to N losses. Our findings also demonstrate that alfalfa meal is an effective N source, and future research should focus on refining its integration through whole-system approaches that balance trade-offs between ecosystem services.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-026-01112-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148172202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi contribute more to phosphorus uptake by oats under long-term conservation agriculture than under conventional tillage","authors":"Mayra E. Gavito,&nbsp;Ole Nybroe,&nbsp;Iver Jakobsen","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01114-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01114-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, important soil phosphorus mobilizers in natural systems, become gradually impoverished by high fertilization and tillage in conventional agricultural systems. The effects of management practices on their capacity to transfer phosphorus to crops have however not been directly measured under field conditions and their contribution to crop nutrition when management changes remain unknown. We compared the specific contribution of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to P uptake of oats under long-term conservation agriculture or conventional tillage and explored whether 19 years of conservation agriculture had improved their P transfer capacity to oat plants. We expected that preserved mycorrhizal communities and hyphal networks under conservation agriculture increased the transfer of labeled P from a confined location in the soil to oat shoots. Local soil labeled with ³³P was buried between rows in mesh bags that excluded roots or allowed roots and mycelium. Plant and mycorrhizal development, and ³³P transfer to shoots, were followed in mesh bags and shoots from seedling to grain filling stage. ³³P transferred to shoots and root-length specific ³³P uptake were significantly higher in the conservation agriculture than in the conventional tillage treatment. ³³P transfer by conventional tillage roots was similar to transfer by non-mycorrhizal roots. ³³P transfer to oats plants was positively related to root length and root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Our results provide evidence of higher P transfer capacity of mycorrhizal oat roots when native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities and their networks were preserved through long-term conservation agriculture. This is one of the few studies showing the otherwise hidden specific contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to crop P nutrition under realistic field conditions and the first to document the improvement in ³³P transfer when oat roots were colonized by local fungi from the soil under long-term reduced disturbance by tillage.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-026-01114-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148172445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maize-bean row intercropping in Rwanda: labor constraints limit application despite nutritional and economic benefits","authors":"Antoine Couëdel,&nbsp;Jean de Dieu Mbarushimana,&nbsp;Alphonse Nyombayire,&nbsp;James Ellison,&nbsp;Marc Corbeels,&nbsp;Juliette Lairez,&nbsp;Diego Cerrudo,&nbsp;Elyse Tuyishime","doi":"10.1007/s13593-026-01103-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13593-026-01103-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rapid population growth in sub-Saharan Africa is intensifying pressure on food security and reinforcing the need for sustainable agricultural intensification. Maize–bean intercropping presents an opportunity to enhance and stabilize crop productivity in this region. Row intercropping—an arrangement in which two or more crops are planted in intentional row patterns—has been promoted as an efficient alternative to sole crops and traditional mixed intercropping. Yet, evidence of its performance across diverse soils and climates remains limited. This study evaluates the multicriteria performance of maize–bean row intercropping compared with sole cropping and mixed intercropping under contrasting farm conditions. We conducted a large-scale, multiseason on-farm study with 382 trials across a wide range of environments in Rwanda. A novel aspect of this study is to move beyond yield-focused intercropping assessments by jointly considering productivity, nutritional outcomes, labor requirements, economic returns, and farmers’ preferences, while uniquely monitoring application rates 4 years after the trials. These dimensions were assessed across a wide range of soil, climate, and socioeconomic farm conditions. Overall, row intercropping had better land use efficiency and higher energy yield and profitability than sole and mixed intercropping systems. It achieved higher land use efficiency in less favorable environments, while its yield stability was comparable to the other cropping systems tested. However, its higher labor requirements, especially at planting, when labor demand peaks, led to only moderate farmer preference. Four years after the trials, application remained limited, with only 30% of participating farmers continuing to use row intercropping despite its higher yields. To enhance adoption, we recommend developing flexible guidelines that allow farmers to adapt practices to their specific needs, introducing labor-saving innovations to reduce the workload at planting, and targeting dissemination to fields with biophysical conditions where row intercropping is expected to deliver the strongest performance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7721,"journal":{"name":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13593-026-01103-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148172630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}